Fist of the North Star was once a popular hit in both Japan and United States back in the early 90s due to the manga and anime. Almost two decades later, the Fist of the North Star is having a big come back but this time, it’s no longer an anime or manga, as the series has gone into the player’s consoles where Kenshiro, the protagonist, and a plethora of characters from the anime and manga are coming back to reiterate the classic story of the Fist of the North Star.
What kind of gameplay style can fans of the series expect? With Tecmo KOEI developing the game, Fist of the North Star can be compared to the gameplay of the Dynasty Warrior games. With that being said, how good is it? Let’s take a look in the HOTs and NOTs.
HOT
Presentation
Kenshiro and the rest of the characters in the Fist of the North Star have received a total makeover from its cartoonish style look that fans have seen in the manga and anime. Kenshiro looks a lot more tougher as the developer managed to retain that “strong mean” look that portrays his “bad ass” attitude throughout the game. A lot of cutscenes can be expected in every chapter and these are all done in CG. While the game is dubbed in English, players who are seeking for the original voice acting can freely change it as Fist of the North Star offers a dual-audio track. When it comes to the in-game surroundings, it can get monotonous.
Follows the Manga Story
The Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage follows the story of the original manga that was released In Japan. The game will mainly focus to Kenshiro’s story as he finds the whereabouts of his lover but as the player progresses in the Legend Mode, new playable characters will unlock and each of these characters will have their own story to tell. Just for Kenshiro’s mode alone, players can expect over ten chapters to go through and at the end, a boss battle will be waiting. For minor playable characters, they hold several chapters as well but they’re not as expansive as Kenshiro’s.
The story of Kenshiro is interesting but for fans who already know what the game is all about, it might not be too exciting. Just before the player delves into the game, the story will be narrated first, giving players a brief introduction on the chapter the players are playing. The story moves fast in the fourteen chapters of the Kenshiro’s story.
Fighting game?
The theme of Fist of the North Star is fighting, therefore players can expect that the game to have the fighting game elements except players can move the character around the field and eliminate fields of enemies. Kenshiro and the other playable characters will have their own combos and they can all be used on any enemy that the player will be facing. Similar to a fighting game, players must combine different buttons to perform a powerful attack. Each of the playable characters has the ability to upgrade their abilities by collecting skill points that can be acquired by defeating the enemies and gathering items across the field.
Brutality Exist! “You Are Already Dead”
Kenshiro’s has been known for his brutality in the anime and the manga. For avid fans wanting to see just how brutal he is once again can see it in the game. Using his deadly moves, fans of the series can see the enemies exploding with just a punch from Kenshiro. Following after an intense battle with the boss, the player will enter in the Finisher mode. Implementing the QTE (Quick Time Event) feature, players are able to perform the finishing move to the boss where the infamous, “ATATATATATATATATATTATATATA” deadly attack can be seen and it will be followed with, “You Are Already Dead”.
Explore the Wasteland
Following the apocalyptic war, players will be controlling Kenshiro and the rest of the available playable characters in the Wasteland. As players fight through with the character of their choice, there are a lot of things that can be done. In the wasteland, there are items that can be picked that restores the character’s Spirit and HP. When lucky, Skill Points can also be picked up. At a certain point in the game, players will be able to use items such as a big metal stick. These items that are scattered can be used as a weapon or a way to find new areas. Even though the game’s area is not that big, there are hidden passages available that contains Skill Points.
Dream Mode – An Entirely New Storyline
As fans progresses through the Legend Mode with Kenshiro, a Dream mode will be unlocked. The Dream Mode in Fist of the North Star offers an entirely new storyline that will be very appealing to the fans. The player can ask a friend to jump in and play co-operatively. Similar to the Legend mode, there will be different characters that can be used and each of them has their own storyline to follow.
NOT
Different Modes but the Same Repetitive Gameplay
In addition to the Legend Mode, which acts as the story mode in the game, there are other modes that might be appealing but offers the same type of gameplay. After the player finishes the Legend Mode, a Dream Mode will be available where it contains an entirely new storyline. However, the gameplay that players have seen will be used again in this mode. Another feature that still holds the same gameplay is the Challenge Mode. Players who are seeking to finish the bosses over and over again will be available in the Challenge Mode. In the future, TECMO KOEI will be releasing DLC especially for this mode as always, expect nothing new when it comes to gameplay.
Bland Environments
While the character models in Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage looks very appealing, the environments that players will be exploring will be bland and boring. Throughout the game, players will be seeing the same exact palette and designs, in which can get very tiring in the eyes of the player. It will not be surprising if the player cannot play the game for more than an hour or two as it is guaranteed that the bland environments will make the player sleepy.
VERDICT
For a game with a Dynasty Warriors type of gameplay, Fist of the North Star is a pretty good title. The game will be most likely appealing to the hardcore fans of the series or for players who want to get into the classic legend everyone has been talking about. However, before a player can commit to this game, expect repetitive gameplay but the story alone and the finishing move of Kenshiro will be good enough to tolerate the game’s repetitiveness
[Editor’s Note: Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage was reviewed on a PlayStation 3 platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher.]
